TAKE THE PLUNGE!

"The Night Swim" is a dark, intense, and powerful book about the victimization and rapes of two teen girls in the same town-- 25 years apart. One girl was allegedly raped by the town's "golden boy"/ Olympic hopeful and she has made the decision to testify at her rapist's trial. The other girl was gang-raped 25 years ago and her rapists were never brought to trial with the victim never living to testify.

The book is fast-paced and I was unable to put the book down -- finishing it in two days. I listened to the audio version of the book and the publisher did a superb job with the book's audio production. I always love it when a book has multiple narrators and this book had three of them. January LaVoy is one of my very, very, very favorite narrators and she was one of the three talented narrators narrating this book.

The only reason why I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 stars is that I would have preferred if the book just focused on one crime instead of two crimes. I felt that some of the details of both crimes were slightly contrived just because of the author's desire to show their relationship to each other.

Before listening to this book, I was a huge fan of Megan Goldin's "The Escape Room". Even though this book was a very, very different read than "The Escape Room" -- Megan Goldin did not disappoint. She is a very talented writer and I will be looking forward to her next book.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with the opportunity to review this book. I highly recommend this title.

This book makes you think. It was raw and uncomfortable at times, but explored the subject of rape and sexual assault from every angle while staying highly entertaining. If you like high stakes and complex characters, look no further. This is your book.

My only complaint is that at times I got frustrated with the POV character. She made some decisions that I think would have had more consequences in real life, like leaving a trial she is supposed to be covering to chase a lead for a different case simply out of curiosity.

Even so, the story was beautifully narrated, well-paced and so engaging that I’m still giving it 5 stars.

Okay I LOVED this book so much! The audio was so awesome I felt like I was listening to a real podcast. There were so many moving parts and twists I wasn't sure how it was all going to play out. I went though this book so fast. I loved the court case and the detective work. Also really eye opening to see how rape is handled compared to murder. GREAT BOOK I HIGHLY recommend!!! Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ALC

Rating: 6.5/10

The Night Swim is a mystery/crime novel that follows two different narratives, both cases involving Rachel – the host of a popular true crime podcast. The first is Rachel’s coverage of a current rape trial. The second is a murder case from 25 years ago that Rachel is being asked to investigate.

I enjoyed reading this book and trying to interpret the clues of each case: needing to know what happened, who was guilty, who was not, and where the connection between these two cases meet. There was a decent amount of tension that led to a feeling of wanting to continue reading. It was mysterious enough that I did not want to put it down. It was also a relatively easy read that I finished in a few sittings, which definitely has its perks.

The character set was good, too. Rachel is the main character, and I came to really like her during the story. She was strong and assertive and dedicated to finding the truth. I like the idea of her being a podcast host, because it forces her character to look at each scenario from many different perspectives. Rachel did not really pass judgment on any of the other characters early in the book – she would stay neutral and balanced until she found the truth. This appeals to me as a reader because it has me constantly doubting myself. I kept thinking, he did it. No, he didn’t do. Maybe he did it. Maybe he is covering up for someone. No, he definitely did it. I like being forced to constantly rethink things during a mystery/crime novel.

As much as I enjoyed reading it, this book did have some major flaws. The biggest flaw for me was that there was not a lot of “wow!”. No real surprise factors. There were a few twists and turns, but nothing that made my head spin. I like to be caught off guard. I want to finish a crime novel and think, that author made a fool out of me. Megan Goldin did not accomplish that in this novel. The other big flaw was the execution of the podcast storyline in the book. Every few chapters is a transcript of Rachel’s most current podcast episode. This is a great idea, except that each of these chapters is only about 5-8 pages long. This would make for 3-5 minute podcasts. That is unrealistic, especially for a popular true crime podcast. I understand that there is no way to include transcripts of 30-60 minute podcasts, but there had to be another way. It felt like a half-completed idea to me.

Overall, The Night Swim was a good read. I did not find it to be particularly exciting, but if you are looking for a good mystery that is an easy read I recommend it.

Wow!!! 4.5 stars! The Night Swim deals with the topic of rape (more specifically two rapes), but delves deeper into the justice system and what victims are put through if they try to seek justice. It’s told from the POV of a neutral 3rd party who is presenting the current case through a podcast while simultaneously trying to determine what happened 25 years ago. The narrator was fabulous (I listened to the audiobook), she drew me in and made it feel as if I was truly listening to a true crime podcast.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin reminded me of watching a true crime show. Sometimes hard to watch/read, but somehow, we are still drawn to the story and want to know more and how it ends!

I struggled a bit with The Night Swim in terms of the graphic rapes, and the courtroom scenes. The story goes between a “cold case” that happened 25 years ago, along with a modern day rape case.

My favourite aspect of the story was how parts of it were told in Podcast form. Rachel runs a podcast called Guilty or Not Guilty, and I loved the modern edge it brought to this story. While Rachel is covering the modern rape case between Scott and Kelly, she also decides to help Hannah solve her sister’s case from 25 years ago.

The story was constantly moving and was extremely well paced. Some of the twists at the end really surprised me as well.

I found the narrations were all good. I found some of them sounded a little too similar, so I would have liked more distinction. Whoever voiced Rachel did the best job. I can still hear her voice in my head.

This was my first book by Goldin, and I would read more by her. I hear her first book Escape Room is fantastic. If you like thrillers this is a good one, but just be warned of the graphic nature of this story.

I received an advanced audiobook from Macmillan Audio through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

“Guilty or Not Guilty, the Podcast that puts you in the jury box.” Rachel is a reporter/investigator. After her phenomenal podcast success, she’s set for the start of Season Three, an explosive rape case in the town of Neapolis. The town is divided as they are either for Scott, a decorated college swimmer on his way to the big leagues or Kelly, a high school girl from a good family. As Rachel prepares, she finds herself distracted as she keeps getting letters from a person named Hannah. Hannah wants Rachel’s help solving her sister’s murder 25 years prior. The only problem ... her sister drowned! As Rachel delves deeper into Hannah’s claims, she decides to help her even while she’s embroiled in her Podcast and the rape trial. Goldin does a great job keeping the reader completely engrossed with two different cases intermixed with a riveting podcast. A truly fascinating tale that will keep you captivated until the last word.

I'm not going to lie, this was a difficult book to read (or listen to in my case). The Night Swim deals with rape and doesn't shy away from the truth and from what happens in court.

Rachel, our main character, produces a crime podcast where she talks about the rape of a sixteen high school girl by the local popular swimmer. This book however, doesn't only focus on this case but also on a mystery that happened twenty-five years ago where a girl "accidentally drowned". Turns out, these two crimes might be linked in some way and when Hannah, the dead girl's younger sister keeps leaving her letters to talk about what happened, Rachel can't stop herself from investigating where the police didn't.

The Night Swim was compelling in a way that I couldn't look away. It was thought provoking, emotional and heart wreaching at times. The writing was good and I thought the way the author linked the mysteries was well-done. I also loved the podcast format!


(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

Night Swim is the second book I’ve read this year by Megan Goldin and both books were brilliant. Whereas Escape Room was a psychological thriller mixed with dark humor as a bunch of backstabbing Investment Bankers/Hedge Fund Analysts are trapped in an elevator in what they think is an Escape Room exercise, The Night Swim is in a whole different class. No humor here, but the sober and disturbing story of violent rape, told over two timelines, taking place in a small backwater town in North Carolina.

The novel begins with a police officer bringing an eight-year-old Hannah home to her mother together with the bad news that her sixteen-year-old sister, Jenny, has drowned in the ocean. Hannah knows things that she is afraid to tell anyone, things that at the time she doesn’t fully understand. Her mother is terminally ill with cancer and in the space of several months Hannah loses both her sister and her mother. She has no other relatives.

Skip forward 25 years and Rachel, a successful True Crime podcast journalist, arrives in town to cover the trial of a contending Olympic swimmer who has been charged with the high-profile rape of a local High School girl, Kelly.

About half of the story unfolds in epistolary fashion, described in Rachel’s podcast episodes and in the letters she receives from Hannah. Hannah tries to involve Rachel in finally getting justice for her sister, who she now knows was beaten and gang-raped on numerous occasions, and she suspects was then murdered and thrown into the sea. Jenny was a strong swimmer and Hannah knows she did not die from crashing into rocks in the sea as the coroner’s report stated.

The book details the violent rapes of the victims, the horrible shaming that Jenny was subjected to by her schoolmates and the shaming Kelly suffers in the courtroom at the hands of the defense attorney. This is about all I want to write because the book is brilliant, and I don’t want to spoil the reader’s experience by disclosing anything more about plot or about the characters. There are surprises – lots of them, and there are links between the past and the present.

The plot and character development were excellent as were the narrators, Baily Carr, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of this Macmillan Audio Production from St. Martin’s Press.

The Night Swin by Megan Goldin
Pub Date 08/04/2020
Thriller

Rachel the podcast host of guilty or not guilty, the podcast that puts you in the jury box! Rachel travels to a small town of Neapolis to cover a rape trial on her podcast that will put the millions of people that listen into the jury box. They can decide after listening to the trial and going over the evidence if the man is guilty or innocent.
While Rachel is in town covering a trial someone is following her, leaving notes, asking her to investigate it 25 year old case. Rachel decides to look into this old case while working on the second season of her hit podcast.
Rachel soon uncovers startling connections between the two cases. Which will change the lives of everyone involved in the two cases. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to the publisher and to #netgalley for the free book for an honest review.

I am getting use to this audiobook thing! This time around, I really like the way the narrators captured the characters. The different voices for the points of view/podcast chapters helped me stay in the story instead of being pulled out of it or distracted by it as I have been previously.

Rachel is a journalist with a popular true crime podcast, Guilty or Innocent. She has had two very successful seasons rehashing former cases for new results. I, personally, love those kinds of podcasts, books, and documentaries. I was hooked. The Innocence Project has me. I will listen to, watch, or read anything thing they are involved in. Rachel may be leading or she may be capitalizing on the popularity, but either way she has made such a splash that someone seeks her out to get justice for her sister.

A note left for Rachel brings back the case of a young girl whose death was ruled an accident. Rachel has come to Neapolis, a small seaside town, to cover a live rape trial. She is lead into the incestuous underbelly of the town itself as she weaves together the past and the present to investigate both crimes.

Here is where I feel the need to remind people that this is delicate and troubling subject matter. It may not be for everyone. Some people who have survived such crimes find the reading of justice for victims to be empowering and satisfying. Others find them to be traumatic to read. This is a trial. A victim will have to describe the crime against her. You may want to skip it, depending on your experience. It is raw and realistic in its portrayal of what a person goes through when they are a attacked. If you believe women make rape claims in order to get attention or revenge, read completely. It is never going to be worth what is required to try to get a conviction.

Thank you to Megan Goldin, Netgalley, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to experience this book for my honest review.

The Night Swim is a must read for anyone that likes thrillers! I could not put it down.

The Night Swim is about Rachel, a popular true crime podcast host. She goes to Neapolis for the current season of her podcast which is about a rape instead of a murder. Rachel is at the trial. While in Neapolis, Rachel gets notes from Hannah who's sister died years ago. Hannah believes her sister was murdered even though it was ruled a suicide. Rachel investigates both cases throughout the book.

Bailey Carr, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz did a fantastic job narrating. I could not imagine better narrators for this book. I also enjoyed the audio clips of the podcast which I think made The Night Swim better as an audiobook than a regular book.

The Night Swim has so much suspense. This is one of the best thrillers I've read in a while. I recommend The Night Swim to mystery/thriller fans. This was my first book by Megan Goldin and I plan on reading her backlist and future titles.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for this audiobook in exchange of an honest review.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t a big of Goldin’s debut novel, The Escape Room because it was was just too over the top for me (I know a lot of people loved it, so definitely read it if you get a chance). That being said, I thought the The Night Swim was absolutely fantastic.

Rachel Krall runs an incredibly successful true crime podcast. For season three, she has chosen to follow the investigation of a rape trial in the small town of Neapolis. In this case, the all-star swim athlete is accused of raping the granddaughter of the local police chief. While trying to focus on the investigation, Rachel keeps receiving mysterious letters asking for her help in investigating a case that happened in Neapolis 25 years prior. The death of Jenny Stills was ruled as an accidental drowning but the person writing the letters insists that Jenny was murdered. To make matters worse, as Rachel starts asking the people of Neapolis questions, no one wants to talk. So what really happened to Jenny? And will the granddaughter get justice or will her rapist walk free?

First and foremost, if rape is at all triggering to you, you will most definitely have a difficult time reading this one as you do get flashbacks to when the rapes take place. While I think that this is something that the author handles with grace, she does not shy away from the details.

When it comes to stories that feature alternative formats such as epistolary and podcasts, I find that they make for better audiobooks especially when you have multiple cast members like you do in The Night Swim. I thought that both Hannah’s letters and Rachel’s podcast cohesively blended into the story and enhanced it rather than detracted.

As far as characters go, I absolutely loved Rachel. Rachel has to ask tough questions as she follows both the rape trial as well as investigates the death of Jenny Stills, but she never backs down from possible leads even when she knows that that they could potentially put her life in danger. She is gritty, fierce, and determined to get justice even if who we think the victim is may not be the case. She is always on the side of truth.

From start to finish, the plot is propulsive. I was immediately sucked into the horrifying rape trial as well as the story of Jenny Stills. Both of them are raw, honest, and utterly heartbreaking. I definitely had moments during the rape trial when I just wanted to stop because I felt like I was being ripped in half by the sheer injustice of the so called justice system. I was angry but also not surprised.

This is one of those books that really walks that fine line of fiction and nonfiction. All of the events within the courtroom and the way society treated both the rape victim and Jenny Stills is EXACTLY what plays in society. Some people will say parts of this book were predictable and this wasn’t a true thriller. I don’t disagree, but I also think the author was trying to achieve something more than your standard thriller, she a damn good job doing so.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing an advanced listening copy through NetGalley. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

Whew, this was a rough read. It is told in two different timelines, both of which revolve around pretty brutal instances of sexual assault and violence against women. As tough as it was to listen to at times, I found myself captivated from start to finish and I listened to the entire audiobook in pretty much one sitting. I was just so eager to find out how everything was going to wrap up and how the two individual story lines were related that I couldn't bring myself to put it down. This book also has a really cool podcast element that was used to weave the two story lines together and I REALLY enjoyed that aspect and thought it was especially well done in the audio format. I also think that that aspect of the story opens things up for the author to write future installments that center around the podcast which I would definitely be interested in checking out! Overall, I thought this was a really well done mystery and I recommend checking it out (if you are comfortable with the subject matter) in audio format if you're able so that you can listen to the podcast portions as if it were an actual podcast.

TW: sexual assault, rape, victim blaming, suicide

(Just a suggestion! For some reason 2.5 speed sounds super robotic. I can usually listen at that speed but on this app, it's a bit hard to understand and might be a technical issue? Even at speed 2 I can almost detect the techy voice, if that makes sense.)

This is one of those books that is perfect for audiobook! The podcast aspect is perfect and sounds exactly like a podcast: opening/closing song and little "snippets" of conversations that sound like recordings. The two narrators helped break up the story and had very distinct voices that were easy on the ears.

And this is when things get a bit confusing for me. Why, oh why, could I not keep track of the young boys from the past, and the adult males involved in the trial? I know that’s my fault, but something about it felt convoluted. I’m sure it’s me and not everyone had this issue, but it really made an impact on the story.

While I liked the controversy about this book, there was something about the plot that just didn’t hold me. Maybe that’s why it was hard to keep track of characters, because I just didn’t care for them. It’s not that I didn’t connect with them, I just didn’t feel anything for them. This might be one of those that fell in the category of my bad mood that affects a decent book, which is why I’m keeping this a 4 instead of a 3. Because I think most people will enjoy this one.

If you’re new to audiobooks, this would be a great start to see how one should be done. Because it was done very well!

This was so good! I love January LaVoy’s narrating in general, and I loved hearing the podcast sections of this aloud. Some of it felt predictable to me, I wasn’t terribly shocked by any of the reveals/twists, but I thought the perspectives of a true crime podcast host and sister of the victim was fun and different from what I’ve read in the past (where it’s primarily a victim or cop). The author’s other book was already on my TBR list, but I think it will be moving up, as I really enjoyed this one.

I seriously tried to like this book. I can see where the author was going but it had so many trigger points in it. I feel like every other word was rape. I think I got to about 75% and just had to put the book down. I didn’t want to give it 1 star because the narrator did a fantastic job. This book just wasn’t for me. I do think that girls are blamed so much and their victims aren’t. This book did need to be written, I just couldn’t handle it.

“She walked down the street toward the path she’d taken that afternoon. This time it wasn’t dusk...it was nearly midnight. More dangerous than ever. It’s a calculation women make all the time. Should she walk home from the bar or take a taxi? Should she cut through the park or take the long way around? Should she speed dial 911 when she thought someone was following her? Should she..? Well, you could go on endlessly. Women, girls, we make these decisions all the time. Convenience vs. safety. Most of the time things work out fine. Occasionally, something terrible happens...”

Another new release that lends itself to audio format! Whenever there’s a podcast in a book, always try audio over print...it’s a no-brainer. I have to admit I DNF’d Megan Goldin’s Escape Room last year 😬 I read enough to know it’s a popcorn thriller, filled with unlikeable characters. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐦, however, is a completely different animal. It’s a mystery with a touch of suspense. There’s nothing new in regards to the plot (Golden Boy is accused of rape in a small but divided town; some believe the victim & some sympathize with the boy). I’m going to make this sound more complicated than it is, but trust me when I say it’s not confusing while reading. Rachel Krall is a podcast host & heads to the town of Neapolis, where she’s attending the trial of an accused rapist. As the trial unfolds, Rachel begins her 3rd season of her true crime podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty - the podcast that puts you in the jury box.. So basically she attends the trial during the day & broadcasts her podcast at night about the days events in court. While there, she also ends up investigating another rape that occurred 25 years prior in the same town...There are 3 POV’s & 3 different narrators. One is a third person narrative of Rachel’s investigation, read by Samantha Desz; another is the podcast episodes, with January LaVoy as Rachel herself (there are 12 episodes throughout the book); finally, we have Hannah, the sister of the rape/murder victim from 25 years ago, read by Bailey Carr. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐦 is an intense examination of a rape trial & it’s not an easy read but I loved the way it unfolded. This one will stick with me for a long time. If you are at all triggered by sexual assault and/or rape, you may want to skip this one. If not, I can’t recommend it enough. Place your holds & preorders for this one! Available 8/4

***Many thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review.****

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC-Audio. The narrators did an amazing job bringing life to this story. (hence the reminder it is a book) They did a fabulous job differentiating between the different characters of the story. The chapters where Rachel was airing her True Crime Podcast was so like listening to a real podcast. This audiobook is different from other audiobooks which is why it was so amazing.. I would definitely recommend this audiobook to friends.

This is a gripping story about a podcaster following a rape trial in Neapolis, North Carolina, a creepy little town that has seen more than it's share of crime. I could not stop listening to the audio-book, and the format of the book really drew me in. Some chapters were excerpts from the podcast and it sounded like a real true crime podcast that I would love to listen to. Others were letters to the podcaster secretly sent from someone who lived in Neapolis years ago, and I could feel her pain and fear through her voice. The story kept me guessing right until the end. The only thing I'd like to warn readers about is it does have some triggers - there are a few descriptions of sexual assault, rape and victim blaming which some readers may find disturbing. They did bother me a bit but I still enjoyed the story and wanted to find out what happened. After reading this book I would like to read more by Megan Goldin.